outlook

Being Defensive: Early or Simply Wrong?

One valuable suggestion my former boss gave me when I started writing macro research note was to imagine myself standing one year in the future, looking back to the events that have transpired since and asking yourself if it should have been more obvious. The regional banking crisis back in March is one of thoseContinue reading “Being Defensive: Early or Simply Wrong?”

Into the Wild: The Known Unknowns

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so” – Mark Twain I think the quote above sums up beautifully the blind spot we and other strategists may have amid the current late phase of the business cycle. After all, few, if any,Continue reading “Into the Wild: The Known Unknowns”

Bracing for an Economic Winter

The week between Christmas and New Year last year was exceptionally cold, with snowstorms in both the Eastern and Western Coast of Canada and the U.S. Many flights were cancelled and those that managed to land at their destination, including the one that I was in, experienced heavy turbulence. The exceptionally cold winter this yearContinue reading “Bracing for an Economic Winter”

Ten Predictions for 2023

This year has been particularly difficult for most investors as there are few places to hide from inflation and rising cost of capital. Both equity and long-term bonds are down over 20% YTD, and even the value of cash is being eaten out by inflation, which rose as high as 9.1% y/y back in June.Continue reading “Ten Predictions for 2023“

An Update on Equity Sector

Market has been trading lower since mid-August peak and we are revisiting our recommendation on sectors given the sharp moves in cyclical and defensives of late. Below are our sector view with a brief rationale and supporting charts. Healthcare: Overweigh (2-4%) Pro: uncorrelated to the cycle and historically outperformed due to earnings resilience during downturn.Continue reading “An Update on Equity Sector“

The Making of An Accident, Brace for Impact

It was four decades ago when Federal Reserve last tighten monetary policy in a comparable speed and size to what we are seeing today. This is not surprising as it was also the last time the U.S. saw headline CPI inflation above 8% (Chart 1). Although the Fed was successful in bringing down inflation andContinue reading “The Making of An Accident, Brace for Impact”

Show Me the Data: Equity Outlook Through Growth and Liquidity Lenses

Sentiment and technical analysts are bullish. Fundamental and macro analysts are bearish. This captured the tone among the sell-side research I read in the past three weeks. The equity market 15%+ bounce from mid-June low has made several strategists turned bullish on risk assets, believing that we have seen the low of the cycle. TheContinue reading “Show Me the Data: Equity Outlook Through Growth and Liquidity Lenses“

Macro Roadmap: Turning Point and Equity Rotation

Since early this year, we have been adamant in our view that the U.S. economy will decelerate rapidly this year amid the combination of the rise in the dollar, yields, and oil price, which all amount to a growth tax for the economy. There is little doubt that the manufacturing PMI surveys will show aContinue reading “Macro Roadmap: Turning Point and Equity Rotation”

Can the Stock Market Handle Fed Tightening and Slowing Growth?

Download PDF: Three fundamental events have shaped the first quarter of 2022: Russian invasion of Ukraine, Federal Reserve’s hawkish monetary policy guidance and delivery of its first policy rate hike since the pandemic began, and greater reflationary efforts by Chinese authorities to stimulate growth. All these happened on the backdrop of a strong U.S. economy,Continue reading “Can the Stock Market Handle Fed Tightening and Slowing Growth?”

Macro Landscape and The Fed

Expectation of a more aggressive Fed rate hike amid longer-than-expected inflationary pressure triggered a violent repricing of U.S. stock market in January this year. Core PCE inflation in December continue to rise 4.85% over the previous year, driven primarily by higher energy and food prices, and pandemic-related items. Meanwhile, unemployment rate continues to decline toContinue reading “Macro Landscape and The Fed”